A majority of the House Finance Committee has signed Grover Norquist's No Tax Pledge.  Lingamfelter is already shouting defiance.  They're not budging. 

We're not going to see any change until after we take back the Senate and another 5 seats in the House.

I really don't like financing transportation through higher fines for traffic violations. It is essentially a flat tax and will hit the least among us the hardest.

I'd much rather have the gas tax increased. It encourages conservation and will be much more equitable than fines.

Raising fines for traffic violations hits only those who get caught disobeying the law.  If you don't want the speeding ticket, you should take your foot off the gas pedal. 

To me, its the gas tax increase that's the most regressive.  Many of us in VA have no public transportation option and, at least here in C'ville/Albemarle, the folks with the least are driving the furthest to get to work. 

While I'd love to believe that higher gas prices will encourage conservation, the evidence doesn't bear that out - when prices were higher last year - even up to $3 per gallon - we didn't stop driving, we stopped SHOPPING.

The problem with that argument is that those who get caught with speeding tickets is completely random. There are dozens of people on the road who break the speed limit yet the one who gets caught is always dependent on the whims of the police. Even if the selection was completely just, hitting a working class person with a $200 ticket is going to hit a lot harder than a West End Mom in her Tahoe.

The gas tax is the way to go. If you don't want to pay it, drive less. If you keep up your same driving habits, the state gets their extra revenue.

While the selection of who gets caught is random, its the drivers decision to disobey the law.  You don't have to worry about paying a steep fine if you don't speed.

As for the admonishment to drive less, that's just not possible for many of us.  Many of us pared down on the driving when gas prices increased - consolidated trips, etc.  But if you live 20 miles from your office, in a rural area with no public transportation, you can only cut down so much.  Sure, it would be great to be able to move closer to the city, but in many instances the cost of housing becomes completely unaffordable.  An increase in the gas is regressive and should be last on the list.

I know for a fact that when an important issue like this comes up, the Republicans sworm their Representative with letters and email. Take the early part of the transportation issue, Watkins Abbitt claimed he recieved 100 letter/email against a tax increase to support transportation. He forgot to mention my 1, so I put out an email to NCDC secratery to write Abbitt to support transportation funding.
Sometime after that I wrote Abbitt and asked what the count for and against increasing funding. He said it was 100-3 against.
Apparently there is allot of talk but no action in the 59th. Seems the same old want, want, want, but no support in funding.

I'm sad to say that I don't think the hard-line Republicans will budge.  I'm happy to say that their intransigence is going to work against them in the next election cycle and we are going to take another big step forward in our efforts to turn Virginia blue.  The Republican controlled state legislative bodies can wear their "do-nothing" designation just like the previous national Republican controlled Congress wore that tag...and who's in the majority now?  Citizens want their government to function competently, to do the big jobs that can't be done piecemeal and locally.  Our road system does not dead-end at each county line.  Neither should the job of making our transportation system efficient and adequate.

I listened to a radio program last night about the coming population explosion in the "Chesapeake Crescent". We can expect about 1 million more people in the next ten years. With this on the horizon there should be no Republican Delegate from anywhere in Northern Virginia if the people have any concern at all about this.

From a political standpoint I would say the Democrats need to make this their showcase issue in every campaign in Northern Virginia. Voting records on transporation funds should be showcased for all Republican candidates. This should be the launching issue for turning the state government blue in the next 4 years.

BTW, who will be running against Cucinelli?

This is from an email from Cuccinnelli and he is worried!

We now have a challenger for next year.  Her name is Janet Oleszek and she is an at-large member of the Fairfax School Board.  She was the highest vote getter among school board candidates in 2003 and she ran in every single one of my precincts in that election; thus, we would appreciate your immediate help in bolstering our campaign funds by making a donation (click right below my signature please) and we'd appreciate getting emails from those of you that are willing to work on the ground or even those of you that live far away that would be willing to "phone bank" from your home (any long-distance cell minutes you could use for this?).  If you're willing to volunteer, please let us know at Ken4Sen@Cuccinelli.com, and please donate today.  Our reporting period ends at the end of December and it's very important that we look strong at the end of the month.  We're still trying to raise $25,000 by the end of the month, please click below to help us do that!

I would agree with DukieDem that this plan has too many regressive elements.  Vehicle sales tax increases and traffic fine increases are two. Increased registration fees also bother me.  In this day, most Virginians need a car to function. When that changes (due to better public transportation, and more diverse employment opportunities), we can re-visit the suitability of these taxes.

In the interim we can institute fuel taxes to target the users proportional to their use of the highways.  This offers incentives to move closer to your job, and other destinations, and rewards good choices for those that do.  It moves Virginia toward sound transportation infrastructure. Rural localities should have the option of converting transportation dollars to economic development.

I would also support local levies to fund local transportation improvements, or, in the case of rural Virginia, funding for industry, education, and jobs training.

Outside of NOVA, Richmond, and HR transportation is not a key voter concern - jobs and community survival are. Paying higher taxes so that people 200 miles away can have shorter commutes to their well-paid job angers minimum wage poor hillbillies.  Rural pols bear little  risk from opposing these taxes. Morgan Griffith sleeps soundly. 

"Outside of NOVA, Richmond, and HR transportation is not a key voter concern"

I may be wrong but I would guess that those localities combined make up well over half the states population and more importantly, voters.

So I just don't see a "voter backlash" outside of the congested areas.  The result, I believe will be the removal of moderate urban Republicans and the further polarization / political gridlock. The Governor would be well served to throw the rural areas a bone so that they see "what's in it for me".

I agree too much of the Governor's funding ideas are either regresive or will not provide a dependable income stream when the economy tanks or when more fuel-efficient vehicles arrive on the scene--- or both. I prefer an addition of one-quarter to one-half a percent on the state sales tax, with a special income tax rebate provided to low income folks so as to keep the sales tax from hitting the least able to afford the expense.  Actually, that small addition to the sales tax will be scarcely noticeable in most cases.  Moreover, it also hits people driving through Virginia and using our roads, at least it does if they buy anything here (like fast food?)

Why not target the tax where it belongs - fuels?  Those out-of-state trucks that daisy-chain down the valley are burning lots of fuel, and Virginia fuel is already cheaper than surrounding states. Raise the fuel tax to pay for transportation.